Gun rest with angled notch

ABSTRACT

A method of using a gun rest comprises attaching a gun rest including two mounting surfaces that form substantially right angles to each other and a notch forming an oblique angle to at least one mounting surface of the gun rest to a frame member.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/554,082, filed Sep. 5, 2017, and entitled “Gun Rest with Angled Notch”, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to gun rests that are intended to store guns such as rifles and the like when these firearms are not being used. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to gun rest with an angled notch that allows the rifle or other firearm to be stored at an angle to the vertical and horizontal directions, making it easy to pick up the gun for quick use while also providing for stable stowing of the gun when not being used.

BACKGROUND

Gun rests are well known in the art for use by hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts who need to have firearms such as rifles with them for various purposes such as hunting, protection, etc. Also, gun rests or other gun storage systems are often found in homes or hunting cabins, where the guns such as rifles or other firearms are stowed when not being used. Gun rests known in the art may be characterized as falling into two categories. First, gun rests are often used as an aid for shooting. In such cases, the gun is placed substantially horizontally on the gun rest so that the weight of gun such as a rifle does not fatigue the shooter over a prolonged period of time while aiming or waiting for a target to appear. Second, gun rests are often used for storing the weapon when it is not being used.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,185 to Walker discloses a gun rest that falls into the first category. This gun rest comprises a central compartment of a shape which allows the barrel of a gun to be conveniently supported, and one or more attached compartments utilized to stabilize and support the central compartment. The compartments are intended to be filled with a substance such as sand, and incorporate closures comprising an inverted spout, one side of which is made from the hook part of a hook and loop fastener, and the other side of which is the loop part of a hook and loop fastener. A closure such as a spout and pocket closure may also be used. Looking at FIGS. 1 and 2 of Walker, two aspects of the gun rest of Walker are readily apparent.

First, the notch of the gun rest in walker extends horizontally and is only intended to serve as a support when aiming or firing the gun and not for storage. Second, the lower compartments are sand bags that are intended to be used to mount to mount the gun rest by placing these sand bags on both sides of a wall of a hunting blind or the like. Filling the sand bags and manipulating them for attaching the gun rest to the wall takes multiple time consuming steps and sand bags may leak over time, requiring maintenance.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,278 to Kasbohm illustrates a gun rest that falls into the second category; namely, a gun rest that is merely intended for storage and does not facilitate quick access for shooting. FIGS. 1 and 7 of Kasbohm show a magnetically mountable firearm or sporting instrument holding device of relatively small compass which is readily removable and portable, and can be utilized for providing a convenient place for hunters and sporting enthusiasts to rest their guns and sporting instruments upright on the outside of their car or other metal surface, and to protect that surface from scratches. The magnetic portable firearm or sporting instrument holding device generally includes a universal retaining member for supporting firearms and other sporting instruments having two opposite ends, the first end of which constitutes a recessed receiving end with inwardly tapered arms for guiding the instrument in place, and the second end comprising a common or multi-component magnetic mounting base. The mounting base may include a joining platform collar to orientate, mount, secure, and support the retaining member, and prevent twisting of the magnetic element of the mounting base. One or a plurality of such mounting bases, with or without platform collars, can be mounted to one or more retaining members.

Drawbacks to the gun rest design of Kasbohm include the fact that the barrel of the gun rest snaps into place; therefore, the gun rest may not detach from the gun when the gun is needed for quick access for shooting. The gun rest may remain attached to the gun barrel even after being removed from the mounting surface where the shooter's hand may be typically placed. This may create an obstruction to the shooter that may result in the shooter missing the target. In many cases, the shooter needs to take time to remove the gun rest before taking aim, which may allow the target to such as quarry to escape, etc.

As can be seen, gun rests known in the art do not facilitate reliable and/or stable storage and quick access for shooting simultaneously. Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a gun rest that facilitates reliable and/or stable storage and quick access for shooting simultaneously.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A gun rest according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The gun rest comprises an elongated body defining an axis of elongation and including an exterior surface defining a notch with an axis of extension, and the exterior surface of the body further defines at least a first mounting surface that forms a first oblique angle with the axis of extension of the notch when projected on a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation along the axis of elongation.

A gun rest according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The gun rest may comprise an elongated body defining an axis of elongation and including an exterior surface defining a notch with an axis of extension, and the exterior surface of the body further defines at least a first mounting surface that forms a first oblique angle with the axis of extension of the notch when projected on a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation along the axis of elongation and a second mounting surface that forms a second oblique angle with the axis of extension of the notch when projected on a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation along the axis of elongation. Also, the first mounting surface and the second mounting surface form substantially a right angle with each other.

A method of using a gun rest according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The method comprises attaching a gun rest including two mounting surfaces that form substantially right angles in a fixed manner to each other and a notch forming an oblique angle to at least one mounting surface of the gun rest to a frame member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a gun rest with an angled notch for receiving the barrel of a gun such as a rifle or the like according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front and back view of the gun rest of FIG. 1, taken along a direction that is perpendicular the axis of extension of the angled notch. Only one view is shown to represent both the front and back views since the front and back views are identical when viewed along the axis of extension of the angled notch.

FIG. 3 is side view of the gun rest of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the gun rest of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the gun rest of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an alternate bottom view of the gun rest of FIG. 3, taken along lines 6-6 thereof.

FIG. 7 is an alternate bottom view of the gun rest of FIG. 3, taken along lines 7-7 thereof.

FIG. 8 is an exploded assembly view of mounting hardware being assembled into the gun rest of FIG. 1, allowing the gun rest to be mounted to a mounting surface or a frame member.

FIG. 9 is an environmental view of the gun rest of FIG. 1 mounted on the ledge of a window or other frame member of a hunting blind according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A gun barrel is shown to be resting in the angled notch of the gun rest with the gun extending at an angle with the horizontal and vertical directions, ready to be picked up by a hunter for quick use.

FIG. 10 is another environment view of the gun rest of FIG. 1 mounted on the edge of a table, with the gun barrel shown to be resting in the angled notch of the gun rest with the gun extending at an angle with the horizontal and vertical directions, placing the gun in a stable resting position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. In some cases, a reference number will be indicated in this specification and the drawings will show the reference number followed by a letter for example, 100 a, 100 b or a prime indicator such as 100′, 100″ etc. It is to be understood that the use of letters or primes immediately after a reference number indicates that these features are similarly shaped and have similar function as is often the case when geometry is mirrored about a plane of symmetry. For ease of explanation in this specification, letters or primes will often not be included herein but may be shown in the drawings to indicate duplications of features discussed within this written specification.

Various embodiments of a gun rest according the present disclosure will now be described. In some embodiments, the gun rest provides for a stable and easily accessible storage of a firearm such as a rifle or the like. In other embodiments, the gun rest provides for versatility in attaching the gun rest in a plurality of manners depending on the application. In many embodiments, the gun rest provides for both stable and easy access to the firearm when stored and for a plurality of attachment methods.

Looking at FIGS. 1 thru 8, a gun rest that may provide for a stable and reliable storage of a firearm such as a rifle, etc. according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be discussed. The gun rest 100 may comprise an elongated body 102 defining an axis of elongation and including an exterior surface 104 defining a notch 106 with an axis of extension 108, and the exterior surface 104 of the body 102 may further define at least a first mounting surface 110 that forms a first oblique angle 112 with the axis of extension 108 of the notch 106 when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation 124 along the axis of elongation. Similarly, the exterior surface 104 of the body 102 further defines a second mounting surface 114 that forms an acute angle 116 with the first mounting surface 110 and a second oblique angle 118 with the axis of extension 108 of the notch 106 when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation 124 along the axis of elongation. The value of the first oblique angle 112 and the second oblique angle 118 may be approximately 45 degrees. The value of the first and second oblique angle may be varied as needed or desired in other embodiments and may be different than each other.

The body 102 may include at least partially a cylindrical configuration including a cylindrical surface 120 and the cylindrical surface 120 defines the notch 106. Other configurations of the body are possible. For the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 thru 8, the first mounting surface 110 intersects the second mounting surface 114 (see intersection 122), forming a right angle or substantially a right angle (e.g. 90 degrees, +/−5 degrees). The at least partially cylindrical configuration of the body 102 defines a cylindrical axis 124 and the first mounting surface 110 intersects the second mounting surface 114 at the cylindrical axis 124 (which for this embodiment, is the same as the axis of elongation). This may not be the case for other embodiments. Furthermore, other configurations having other cross-sections other than circular are possible such as rectangular, square, elliptical, polynomial, etc.

The first mounting surface 110 may define at least one aperture 126 and the gun rest 100 may further comprise a magnet 128 disposed in the aperture 126. On the other hand, the second mounting surface 114 may define at least one thru-hole 130 and a counterbore 132 centered thereto and in communication therewith, configured to receive a fastener 134 (see FIG. 8).

Looking now at the notch as best seen in FIG. 2, the notch 106 may have a radial configuration. That is to say, it may define the arc of a radius having a diameter 136 measured at the cylindrical surface 120 ranging from 10 mm to 20 mm. In such a case, the axis of extension 108 is a cylindrical axis 138. Other shapes for the notch 106 are possible including polynomial, elliptical, V-shaped, etc.

Now, a gun rest according to an embodiment of the present disclosure that may provide for versatility in attaching the gun rest in a plurality of manners to a frame member will be discussed with further reference to FIGS. 1 thru 8. The gun rest 200 may be comprise an elongated body 202 defining an axis of elongation 224 and including an exterior surface 204 defining a notch 206 with an axis of extension 208, and the exterior surface 204 of the body 202 may further define at least a first mounting surface 210 that forms a first oblique angle 212 with the axis of extension 208 of the notch 206 when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation 224 and a second mounting surface 214 that forms a second oblique angle 218 with the axis of extension 208 of the notch 206 when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation 224 along the axis of elongation. For the embodiment shown, the first and second oblique angles 212, 218 are the same but this may not be true for other embodiments. More particularly, the first oblique angle 212 and the second oblique angle 218 may be approximately 45 degrees (+/−5 degrees) and are fixed relative to each other. In like fashion, the first mounting surface 210 and second mounting surface 214 form substantially a right angle 218 with each other but this may not be the case for other embodiments. Any of the dimensions or angles discussed herein with respect to any embodiment may be varied as needed or desired in other embodiments.

As alluded to earlier herein, the body 202 may include an at least partially cylindrical configuration including a cylindrical surface 220 and the cylindrical surface 220 defines the notch 206. The body 202 also defines a cylindrical axis 224 (which for this embodiment, is the same as the axis of elongation) and the first mounting surface 210 intersects the second mounting surface 214 at the cylindrical axis 222. In other words, this intersection 224 is coincident with the cylindrical axis 224. This may not be the case for other embodiments. This geometrical relationship may maximize the mounting surface area without compromising the strength of the gun rest 200. It should be noted that for any of the embodiments discussed herein, the axis of elongation may be something other than straight, such as arcuate, etc.

The first mounting surface 210 may define a first pair of apertures 226 disposed on either side of the notch 206 along the axis 208 and the second mounting surface 214 may define a second pair of apertures 226′ disposed on either side of the notch along the axis 224. For the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 thru 8, the first pair of apertures 226 is configured to receive magnets 228 and the second pair of apertures 226′ is configured to receive fasteners 234 (see FIG. 8). In other embodiments, both pairs of apertures 226, 226′ may be configured to receive fasteners 234 or magnets 228 when a redundant method of attachment is possible and/or desired. For example, if the frame member is made of a ferrous material on both the top and side surfaces, it may be desirable to provide magnets on both mounting surfaces. In other applications, it may be desirable to provide fasteners on both mounting surfaces if the top and side surfaces of the frame member are made of wood, etc.

For the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 thru 8, the cylindrical surface 220 defines a cylindrical diameter 238 (see FIG. 2) and the body 202 defines an axial length 240 (see FIG. 5) and an aspect ratio that is equal to the axial length 240 divided by the cylindrical diameter 238 ranging from 1.5:1 to 3:1 and may be approximately 2:1 in some embodiments. In like fashion, either pair or both apertures 226, 226′ are spaced axially apart a predetermined axial distance 242 (centerline distance shown in FIG. 5) and a ratio of the predetermined axial distance 242 to the axial length 240 may ranges from 0.4:1 to 0.8:1, and may be 0.5:1 in some embodiments. Any of these dimensions or ratios may be varied as needed or desired in other embodiments. A suitable aspect ratio may provide for a stable attachment between the gun rest 200 and a frame member since the profile of the gun rest 200 is minimized while the mounting surface area is maximized. The cylindrical profile is smooth, providing fewer snag points, reducing the likelihood that the gun rest 200 may be inadvertently knocked off a frame member. An exemplary axial length and diameter of the gun rest may be 100 mm and 50 mm, respectively.

The gun rest 100, 200 may be fabricated from a thermoplastic material or other suitable material that is durable, corrosion resistant, etc. Suitable manufacturing processes may include injection molding, casting, etc. The apertures may be formed using cores and/or side actions or similar mechanisms (e.g. lifts) when molding or casting is employed. Alternatively, these apertures may be machined into the gun rest after being molded or cast. The majority of the gun rest may be made from a unitary piece of material or may be made from a two shot molding or an assembly of various components. Rare earth magnets may be inserted into apertures on a mounting surface as needed or desired. Other forms of attachment other than fasteners or magnets may be employed, including but not limited to, adhesives, double-sided tape, VELCRO or similar type of attachment devices sold under other tradenames, etc.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

In practice, a gun rest may be manufactured, bought, sold, or otherwise provided or obtained according to any embodiment discussed herein. Once obtained, the gun rest may be used in manner as will now be described.

FIGS. 8 thru 10 illustrate a method of use. The method 300 of using a gun rest according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may comprise attaching a gun rest having two mounting surfaces that form substantially right angles to each other and a notch forming an oblique angle to at least one mounting surface to a frame member (step 302).

The method may further comprise fastening the gun rest to the frame member using fasteners (step 304). In other embodiments, fastening the gun rest to the frame member may only comprise using magnets. In such a case, the attaching step is done with a single motion as the mounting surfaces of the gun rest engage the corresponding surfaces of the frame member.

The method 300 may further comprise placing a portion of a firearm into the notch, allowing the firearm to extend at an oblique angle to both the horizontal and vertical directions (step 306).

In addition, the step of attaching the gun rest may include contacting the frame member by aligning the mounting surface with an appropriate portion of the frame member depending on the desired method of attachment (step 308). For example, if magnets are available on only one mounting surface, then this mounting surface may be aligned with the surface of the frame member that has ferrous content. In other applications, if the surface of the frame member is wooden, then the mounting surface with fastener counterbores would be aligned to engage this surface, etc. When adjusting, the gun rest may be rotated 180 degrees about the cylindrical axis and the axis of extension of the notch.

With respect to the use of the gun rest in FIG. 9, it is noted that many commercially available hunting blinds utilize frame members having ferrous content. Therefore, the use of magnets to mount the gun rest according to any embodiment discussed herein may be well-suited for such applications as attaching the gun rest may be performed conveniently in a single motion.

With respect to the use of the gun rest in FIGS. 9 and 10, or any other application when the gun rest is configured as described in FIGS. 1 thru 8, placing the barrel of the rifle or any portion of any firearm into the notch while the opposite end is on the ground or another support surface may naturally cause the firearm to extend at oblique angles to the horizontal or vertical directions. In many cases, the firearm may extend

It will be appreciated that the foregoing description provides examples of the disclosed assembly and technique. However, it is contemplated that other implementations of the disclosure may differ in detail from the foregoing examples. All references to the disclosure or examples thereof are intended to reference the particular example being discussed at that point and are not intended to imply any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure more generally. All language of distinction and disparagement with respect to certain features is intended to indicate a lack of preference for those features, but not to exclude such from the scope of the disclosure entirely unless otherwise indicated.

Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments of the apparatus and methods of assembly as discussed herein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention(s). Other embodiments of this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the various embodiments disclosed herein. For example, some of the equipment may be constructed and function differently than what has been described herein and certain steps of any method may be omitted, performed in an order that is different than what has been specifically mentioned or in some cases performed simultaneously or in sub-steps. Furthermore, variations or modifications to certain aspects or features of various embodiments may be made to create further embodiments and features and aspects of various embodiments may be added to or substituted for other features or aspects of other embodiments in order to provide still further embodiments.

Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A gun rest comprising; an elongated body defining an axis of elongation including an exterior surface defining a notch with an axis of extension; and the exterior surface of the body further defines at least a first mounting surface that forms a first oblique angle with the axis of extension of the notch when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation along the axis of elongation.
 2. The gun rest of claim 1, wherein the exterior surface of the body further defines a second mounting surface that forms an acute angle with the first mounting surface and a second oblique angle with the axis of extension of the notch when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation along the axis of elongation, and the value of the first oblique angle and the second oblique angle are approximately 45 degrees.
 3. The gun rest of claim 2, wherein the body includes at least partially a cylindrical configuration including a cylindrical surface and the cylindrical surface defines the notch.
 4. The gun rest of claim 3, wherein the first mounting surface intersects the second mounting surface and forming a substantially right angle.
 5. The gun rest of claim 4, wherein the at least partially cylindrical configuration of the body defines a cylindrical axis and the first mounting surface intersects the second mounting surface at the cylindrical axis.
 6. The gun rest of claim 2, wherein the first mounting surface defines at least one aperture and the gun rest further comprises a magnet disposed in the aperture.
 7. The gun rest of claim 6, wherein the second mounting surface defines at least one thru-hole and a counterbore configured to receive a fastener.
 8. The gun rest of claim 1, wherein the notch has a radial configuration.
 9. A gun rest comprising: an elongated body defining an axis of elongation and including an exterior surface defining a notch with an axis of extension; and the exterior surface of the body further defines at least a first mounting surface that forms a first oblique angle with the axis of extension of the notch when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation along the axis of elongation and a second mounting surface that forms a second oblique angle with the axis of extension of the notch when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the axis of elongation along the axis of elongation; wherein the first mounting surface and second mounting surface form substantially a right angle with each other in a fixed manner.
 10. The gun rest of claim 9, wherein the first oblique angle and second oblique angle are approximately 45 degrees and are fixed relative to each other.
 11. A gun rest of claim 9, wherein the body includes an at least partially cylindrical configuration including a cylindrical surface and the cylindrical surface defines the notch.
 12. The gun rest of claim 11, wherein the body defines a cylindrical axis and the first mounting surface intersects the second mounting surface at the cylindrical axis.
 13. The gun rest of claim 12, wherein the first mounting surface defines a first pair of apertures disposed on either side of the notch along the axis and the second mounting surface defines a second pair of apertures disposed on either side of the notch along the axis.
 14. The gun rest of claim 12, wherein the first pair of apertures is configured to receive magnets and the second pair of apertures is configured to receive fasteners.
 15. The gun rest of claim 14, wherein the cylindrical surface defines a cylindrical diameter and the body defines an axial length and an aspect ratio that is equal to the axial length divided by the cylindrical diameter ranging from 1.5:1 to 3:1.
 16. The gun rest of claim 15, wherein either pair of apertures are spaced axially apart a predetermined axial distance and a ratio of the predetermined axial distance to the axial length ranges from 0.4:1 to 0.8:1.
 17. A method of using a gun rest comprising: attaching a gun rest having two mounting surfaces that form substantially right angles to each other in a fixed manner and a notch forming an oblique angle to at least one mounting surface of the gun rest to a frame member.
 18. The method of claim 17 further comprising: fastening the gun rest to the frame member using fasteners.
 19. The method of claim 17 further comprising: placing a portion of a firearm into the notch, allowing the firearm to extend at an oblique angle to both the horizontal and vertical directions.
 20. The method of claim 17: wherein attaching the gun rest includes contacting the frame member by aligning the mounting surface with an appropriate portion of the frame member depending on the desired method of attachment. 